Tanglewood: An Ideal Summer Getaway

The best in classical music plays on the stage at the Tanglwood Music Festival in the sylvan setting of the Berkshire Hills on the western border of Massachusetts every summer. For ten weeks, Tanglewood hosts concerts and recitals by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, world-renowned  classical superstars, and popular artists. Highlights of the upcoming season include an all-Beethoven program on July 10, the Boston Pops with Keith Lockhart conducting The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers with narration by Alec Baldwin on July 18 , folk legends Simon and Garfunkel on July 27, and Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble on August 8.

The must-do Tanglewood experience?  Enjoying the ambiance of picnicking on the famed Tanglwood lawn. You don’t even need to worry about preparing an elaborate picnic yourself. The Boston Symphony offers several gourmet picnic-to-go options, from sandwich bags ($21), to 3 -course boxed meals(from $35), to Asian, American and Vegetarian-themed totes for two (from $67), which can be  conveniently pre-ordered in advance. Lawn chair rentals ($4) are available too.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Lenox, MA (Map). Ticket prices vary  from $21-$115. Tanglewood is easily accessible from Boston by car- the trip takes about 2 hours. Lawn seats are the most affordable ticket option and large video screens make it easy to enjoy the performance.  However, if you are a real classical music fan, you may want to purchase tickets for seats inside the Koussevitzky Shed. And new this year, there will be complimentary Pedicabs to take patrons from the parking lots to the Main Gate on select concert dates

Image Credit: The Boston Symphony, Stu Rosner